Til the Last
by BestCareAnywhere
Summary: What if Moony had been granted custody after OotP? This is a very different take on Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts.
1. In the Darkest Times

In The Darkest Times

I don't own Harry Potter. I wish to the high heavens that I did, but I don't. So don't bother suing me because I'm not making any money off of this. Enjoy the story!

In The Darkest Times

Harry sat alone on his bed. Alone. He couldn't believe it. Was it only a fortnight ago that he had seen Sirius fall through the Veil? Was it only seven months ago that they were celebrating Christmas together happily? It felt like an eternity. No. More, much more. He hadn't had any communication with the wizarding world save one short note. "It is for the best." The note had appeared with a single feather, which Harry quickly noticed belonged to Fawkes. Now it was seven days until Harry's birthday. He sighed and prepared to get up for the day when a yell pierced the silence, "GET UP YOU PITIFUL EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN! YOU OVERSLEPT! DO YOUR CHORES AND THEN YOU WILL RECIEVE YOUR PUNISHMENT!!"

Harry sighed again. It couldn't get much worse could it? He dutifully began his chores. All the while Uncle Vernon was watching him with a small smirk on his face. It took him until around mid-day to finish his extensive list of chores. Once he was finished Uncle Vernon said, "Boy! Come Here!" Harry approached him terrified. Uncle Vernon smiled slowly and then began to beat Harry viciously. Harry screamed.

Twenty minutes later Harry found himself lying on his bed in terrible pain. He was almost sure that Uncle Vernon had broken his leg and several of his ribs. He moaned slightly just as Aunt Petunia was walking by. Bad timing. "Boy! Stop complaining at once! You are not severely injured! Begin your evening chores." She walked off.

"If only the order could help me," Harry thought aloud. He knew they couldn't though. Ever since Sirius they probably didn't think he deserved to be in the company of civil human beings. Sirius. His stomach clenched painfully at the thought. "Its all my fault," he whispered gently. His body was wracked with sobs until he couldn't cry any longer. Sometimes he hated his life so much. If it weren't for Ron, Hermione, and Remus he would probably kill himself. "I'd see Sirius again," he whispered. But no, he couldn't do that to people he cared about. "People cared about me," he whispered over and over again like a mantra as he got up slowly, painfully and began his evening chores.

Meanwhile in Diagon Alley Remus Lupin was receiving the best news he ever had received in his life. Dumbledore had convinced the ministry to allow him custody of Harry Potter! The only condition was that Harry was to stay at Hogwarts through his seventh year. That wasn't a problem because Remus wouldn't dream of keeping Harry away from the castle that was the first place he ever called home. He glanced at Dumbledore, "May I go pick him up from the Dursleys now?" Dumbledore nodded graciously, "Of course you may," He paused, "Might I suggest bringing him to your home first? Grimmauld Place might harbor unwelcome memories for him now." Remus acknowledged Dumbledore's idea with a small smile and quickly apparated directly to Number Four Privet Drive in Surrey.

Harry was half asleep when he heard a polite knock on the front door. He had been locked in his cupboard and left to deal with the pain of his injuries. As soon as the Dursley's had realized that he was seriously injured he was stuffed in a cupboard to prevent the neighbors from noticing anything strange in the windows. Uncle Vernon came barreling down the stairs. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He bellowed. Remus quickly drew his wand, "I am here for Harry Potter. I have been granted custody of him." Uncle Vernon snorted, "Do you really think that we'll just let you walk in and take him? Who are you anyway?" "I am Remus Lupin and I would really like to see Harry."

Harry heard Remus' voice. Uncle Vernon wasn't letting him in. "Remus," Harry called out, "Help…" His voice trailed off weakly.

Remus froze. He had just heard Harry yell out. He couldn't believe how weak his voice sounded. Anger pounded through his veins. "LET ME IN," he shouted at Harry's idiot uncle as he shoved his way inside. He called out "Where are you Harry?"

Harry was only half conscious but he managed to call out, "In the cupboard under the stairs."

Remus was seething. He ran to the cupboard and unlocked it quickly. "Alohamora." The sight shocked him. Harry was bruised badly with one leg bent horribly. Remus gasped in horror and then quickly conjured a stretcher. He gently levitated Harry onto it and turned his attention to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who had just come out of the kitchen to see what was wrong. "You will pay for this," he said angrily, "If it's the last thing I do you WILL PAY!" The last two words were shouted before Remus returned his attention to Harry. "Oh Harry," he muttered, "What are we going to do?" Remus realized that Harry couldn't go to St. Mungo's, the press would have a field day, and Hogwarts was closed completely for renovations this summer. He would have to call Dumbledore as soon as he got Harry home.

* * *

Harry woke up with a started gasp. He looked around frantically, "Where am I," he called out to absolutely no one. Or so he thought. A smiling voice answered, "You are at your guardian, Remus Lupin's house. It took a moment for Remus' word to sink in. "You said guardian," Harry whispered astonished. "Yes I did," Remus replied joyfully. I'm not really sure how… all I know is that I did and that's all that matters." Harry nodded. He agreed of course but he still had a lot of questions.

"Remus," He paused momentarily to get up his nerves, "Why can't I move my leg?" Remus sighed, "Well Harry I'm afraid there weren't numerous ways to treat you available considering how badly your Uncle hurt you so the Healer that came here had to resort to muggle methods in order to keep you alive." "So my legs in a cast?" asked Harry curiously. "Yea I think the healer called it that," Remus laughed, "He also said that it wasn't a big deal and that if you take your potions it will be off in a week and you'll be out of bed in three weeks."

Harry groaned, "Three weeks?!" "Remus smiled, "Think positive, at least you'll get birthday presents and get well presents." Harry's good mood evaporated. He turned way from the door. Remus immediately sensed that something was wrong. "Harry," he prodded gently, " I don't want to talk about it," said Harry slowly and clearly. Remus nodded. "Ok well if you ever need to you know where to find me ok?" Harry nodded and Remus quietly left the room.

Remus walked back downstairs to the people in the living room. Professors Dumbledore and Snape were standing there. "How is he Remus?" "Physically much better," Remus replied staring directly at Dumbledore, "Mentally…" He paused, "I just don't know." Dumbledore nodded accepting Remus' answer. Snape however said, "Potter will need to take these. I will have to give them to him myself and then observe the results.

Remus began to protest but Dumbledore silenced him with a mere look. Remus nodded and wishing he were doing anything else led Snape upstairs.

* * *

Order Headquarters was in an uproar. "Where's Harry?" voices shouted. Dumbledore could barely quiet them. "Harry is somewhere safe," was all he would say, "His Aunt and Uncle badly injured him and he is recuperating from his injuries and does not need distractions." "But where is he," Ron Weasley shouted. "Is he ok?" asked Hermione Granger slightly more calmly. "The answer to both of those questions is that he is safe at the moment," replied Dumbledore, "Now I believe it is time for the meeting to begin." His tone had such finality that no one bothered asking any more questions and all the still in school wizards retreated to their rooms as the meeting began.

A/N: I really hope you like the story so far. I'm not quite sure where this is going yet but I think it'll be good. Pease review and tell me what you think. I'd appreciate any suggestions.


	2. Carry Me

Chapter Two: Carry Me

Chapter Two: Carry Me

Remus slowly walked up the stairs, hoping to delay the inevitable confrontation between Harry and Snape for as long as possible. "Hurry up Lupin, I don't have all day," Snape sneered. Remus scathingly replied, "What's your hurry you greaseball? Off to wash your hair?" Snape ignored the last comment and simply sneered at Remus as he passed him on the stairs. He barged into Harry's room without knocking. Remus yelled, "Wait! Don't go in yet…" He trailed off but it was to late. Remus had intended to give Harry some warning as to what was coming but to no avail. He sighed, "This could be interesting."

Harry was in terrible condition and hurting all over. He was just about to call for Remus when his door banged open. He glanced up with tears of pain dripping down is face but his expression turned stony when he saw who it was. "Professor Snape," he gasped trying unsuccessfully to hide his tears. Snape sneered unpleasantly, "I do not have time for this BOY!" The last of the words was a shout. "Drink these now!" When Harry did not move Snape began stuffing the potion down his throat. "REMUS!" Harry screamed.

Remus heard Harry's shout and ran in to find Harry being half strangled by Snape. He was angry. No, forget angry, he was livid. He ran into the room and dragged Snape off of his son. "What are you doing," asked Remus stepping in front of Harry protectively. "How DARE you touch Harry?!"

Severus straightened. "The insolent boy refused to take his potions. I expedited the process. I do not apologize for my actions."

Remus pursed his lips at the comment and quietly spoke, "Leave. Now. I do not tolerate that sort of behavior in my house. I will give Harry the potions myself. If you so require I will observe him also; but, you are not to set one foot in this house and especially not this room. Do we understand each other Sniv—Severus?" The slip of the tongue was obviously intentional.

Severus curtly nodded and strode out of the room with his black robe billowing behind him. However as he left he couldn't resist a parting shot, "Be careful Lupin, insulting the wrong people may send you the same way as that lazy mutt."

Lupin looked like he wanted to respond for a moment but a gasp from Harry caught his attention. He was lying on the bed with tears of pain in his eyes and looked as if he were beginning to hyperventilate. Remus quickly walked over and took Harry's hand. "Breathe Harry," he said quietly, "I assure you that you are not in any danger whatsoever. Just take these potions and you can go back to sleep."

Harry grinned weakly, "I guess Snape wouldn't dare to poison these huh?" An undertone of nervousness lined his voice.

Remus smiled. "I swear to you Harry that I would never allow Snape to harm you by doing that. You are perfectly safe drinking these potions. You'll certainly be up and about in no time at all."

Harry nodded and willingly gulped down the potions. "I'm holding you to that Remus," he murmured as sleep began to overtake him. Remus sighed as he looked down at Harry's peaceful posture. He gently pulled the covers up to Harry's chin and backed away slowly as not to wake him. As he left the room he couldn't help but wonder, '_Oh Harry, how could we have failed you so greatly?' _

Remus also retired to bed and closed his eyes hoping for a long sleep. The full moon was only a week ago and he was still quite tired. However barely a hour passed before he was awakened by an earth-shattering scream. He sat bolt upright, "Harry!" he breathed panicked as he rushed down the hallway.

* * *

_"Murderer, Murderer, Murderer, Murderer," chanted the voices all around Harry. They stood in a circle around Harry, all of his friends and loved ones. First the Dursleys stepped forward, "You're nothing but a worthless burden Harry Potter! You've made our lives miserable from the second that you were dropped by our door. We wish you were never born!" They slowly walked through the veil that was in the center of the circle, next to Harry._

_Then the Weasleys, minus Ron, stepped forward. "we took you into our home Harry. We cared for you like one of us. How could you betray us like this? Maybe you're relatives are right." Then all of the Weasleys stepped behind the veil, ignoring Harry's pleas for them to stop._

_By now tears were streaming down Harry's face. His parents, Lily and James, stepped forward. "If you hadn't been born we wouldn't have been killed." They yelled to him, "Why did you let us die? Was your life worth ours?" They also stepped through the veil, leaving Harry crushed. The circle was significantly smaller now._

_Next Snape walked up to Harry. "As much as it pains me to agree with you're father on anything," he spat, "you are, as I have always said, an ignorant brat. If you had tried harder in lessons all of this could have been prevented." He straightened and walked through the veil more slowly than the others with a certain dignity._

_Next up was Dumbledore, "I am very disappointed, my boy." That was all he whispered as he walked through the veil. There were only four people left now in the circle._

_One of them stepped forward. Harry recognized the lifeless eyes of Cedric Diggory. "You killed me Harry. If Voldemort hadn't been after you I would have been safe. I would have won the Tournament and have been celebrating happily with my friends instead of dying in a graveyard." He also walked away from Harry and into the veil._

_Now two of the three people left stepped forward. "We were you best friends Harry," Ron and Hermione cried, "How could you betray us by becoming a murderer?" Harry tried to call out and tell them that he wasn't a murderer but he found himself frozen in horror as they also disappeared behind the veil of death._

_Now there was only one person left. Harry turned to face the one person who had been the most dear to him. "Sirius," he whispered, "I didn't know, I swear." He noticed Sirius was wearing a hood that obscured his face. "It doesn't matter Harry," he said softly, "Nothing can be changed with apologies. You see, I'm already dead." With that he removed his hood and Harry caught a glimpse of a terribly emaciated face. It looked like something right out of a horror movie. Sirius looked at him one last time and stepped into the veil, "Goodbye Harry," echoed around the field._

_Suddenly the veil disappeared. Harry was completely alone. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He fell to the ground and began to scream. He couldn't seem to stop._

* * *

Remus burst into Harry's new bedroom looking terrified, "HARRY!" he shouted, "WAKE UP!"

Harry felt himself being pulled from his dream with a start. He awoke to find a terrified Remus hovering above him holding a glass of water. When he saw that Harry was conscious he quickly handed it to him. "What happened Harry?" he managed to ask.

Harry blushed crimson, "Nightmare," he murmured with his head facing the bed sheet. "Don't worry, it happens all of the time. It's usually what gets Uncle Vernon mad." Remus nodded slowly appearing to be taking this in. "Well here you won't be punished for a nightmare, okay Harry? In fact how about I go downstairs and get us some hot chocolate. It always makes me feel better after a nightmare."

Harry was embarrassed to admit it but the offer sounded very tempting. He loved the thought of staying awake for just a little while longer. He tentatively nodded his head. Remus smiled and went downstairs to make the hot cocoa. '_Maybe things will turn out okay_.' He thought, '_After all, he isn't shutting me out completely._'

Harry waited patiently for his hot chocolate and was very pleased when Remus arrived with it floating in front of him. He was less pleased, however, when Remus started a conversation, "What was your nightmare about Harry?"

Harry shrugged neutrally. "This and that. I guess it was just the unfamiliarity of the house. I'm pretty sure that it won't happen again."

Remus paused for a moment and decided that it wouldn't hurt to press a little further, "You implied that it occurs often at the Dursleys." He left the statement open-ended hoping that it would push Harry into a response.

It actually worked. Harry appeared to be slightly teary eyed. "I sometimes just feel so alone Remus." He wasn't looking at Remus but instead fiddled with his cup of cocoa. "I just can't take it. Everything's my fault." Tears were sliding down Harry's face in rapid succession. "I can't kill Voldemort by myself Remus! I'm just not strong enough!"

Remus blinked back tears himself as Harry began to sob. "It's okay Harry," he whispered quietly, "You don't have to face anything alone anymore. I will be by your side forever." He held Harry for the rest of the night as Harry fell into a semi-peaceful sleep. Remus fell asleep against Harry's headboard just as dawn broke. Even while sleeping he didn't let go of his young cub.

A/N I hope you liked the chapter!! I threw in a lot of Harry angst. I hope you all approve. I'll be posting rather frequently for the rest of the summer. Once school starts things will probably begin to slow down though. Also, I hope that you will forgive any errors you might see in this. Grammar isn't my forte.  Thanks for reading!! I KNOW that you want to review!! Go ahead…… push the button…


	3. Stand Alone

Chapter Three: Stand Alone

The promise Remus had made to Harry strangely seemed to combat all of his nightmares. Harry felt completely safe. He wasn't having any nightmares and he was perfectly comfortable with his new guardian. The week had passed fairly quickly and tomorrow was Harry's birthday. Currently, Healer Adams was present to remove his cast. Harry was delighted to be having the nuisance removed. It was near to impossible to sneak out of bed with twenty pounds of plaster attached to his leg.

"If you would elevate your leg please, Harry," Healer Adams requested, "Then I'll just spell the cast off and be on my way." Harry nodded and, with some effort, lifted his leg about six inches off of the bed. Healer Adams nodded and quickly murmured a banishing charm. Then he ran a quick diagnostic spell to make sure that everything was healing well. He froze and dropped his mouth open after seeing the results of the spell.

Harry was unnerved by the sudden silence. "Is everything okay, Healer Adams?" Harry asked nervously. The man took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Yes, You're perfectly healthy Harry. The only question is how you got this way. You should need another full two weeks to heal. However there is nothing wrong with you. Apparently you are more magically powerful than everyone assumed. There is no reason for you to stay in bed any longer."

Harry's grin could have lit up an entire skyscraper, "Brilliant!" He exclaimed jumping out of bed. Remus rolled his eyes. He had a really bad feeling that his life was about to become a lot more difficult. Harry was notorious for his trouble-making antics. He certainly took after his father in that respect.

Remus' attention was drawn back to the issue at hand by Harry's excited voice. "That means I can go to my party tomorrow Remus!"

Remus smiled, "Yes Harry it does. But before we worry about that there are several people here to talk to you." Professor Dumbledore had only been able to hold the minister off until Harry got his cast removed. The new minister was eager to make amends and succeed where Fudge had failed. To do so he needed the support of the boy-who-lived.

Harry's brow furrowed in puzzlement as he tried to figure out who his guests were. Finally he gave up. "Well?" He asked, "Who are they?" Remus couldn't help but smile at Harry's puzzlement. "Professor Dumbledore, the new Minister of Magic, and Amelia Bones."

After hearing that Harry's next question was understandable, "Am I in trouble again?" Remus shook his head negatively. "No Harry, the minister just wants to offer you a few things, as does Professor Dumbledore."

"Like what?" Remus sighed at Harry's insatiable curiosity. "How about I go get them and you can find out for yourself." Harry nodded eagerly and seconds later Remus found himself walking down the stairs of his home. He had a bad feeling that it was going to be a very long day.

A few moments later Remus entered the kitchen. He looked over at the three adults standing there. "Harry is happy at the moment. However, he is in a fragile state and it is unlikely that he will easily rebound from all of the trauma that has been inflicted upon him. If you hurt him, AT ALL, you will have me to answer to. Are we clear?"

Dumbledore tried to placate Remus. "Of course we are, Remus. None of us would ever intentionally hurt Harry. In fact, our offer will probably make him extremely happy."

Now this made Remus slightly worried. "What kind of offer?"

Dumbledore smiled enigmatically. "Don't fret, my dear boy. Harry will not be getting anything harmful to him. He, and you, will be pleasantly surprised."

Remus didn't fully trust the Minister but he did trust Dumbledore. He knew that he would get nothing further out of the Headmaster and was unwilling to waste time trying. Therefore, without further ado, he led them up to see Harry.

A/N: Sorry, this one's painfully short. It's been years though and I just need a little time to get back into the swing of things. Anyway… enjoy! Oh yea… Harry is NOT mine. If he were, my life would be a LOT more amazing!


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